Benjamin Isla Cabangis, a 1978 graduate of Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major in Painting in the University of the Philippines, is a full time artist, educator and is currently in the brink of completing his masters. Benjie, as we all call him, has had 20 solo exhibits and about 30 group exhibits held in the Philippines, Hong Kong and in New York, USA respectively.
Benjie started painting when he was in college around the 1970s. Training in school exposed him to traditional, figurative and representational works.
But over the years, as he continue to develop his craft and skill in painting, his artwork then evolved into non-representational works that we see to this time.
The change just happened. It was not planned or studied to be that way. It is just that, as an artist, he felt that it is freer to experiment using the non-representational medium rather than the traditional one. “I can compare my work with instrumental music. In music, you deal with formal elements like melody and rhythm which is similar to a lot of my abstract works; like colour, space, time, texture and all the formal elements. So when you get to listen to instrumental music, you tend to like it even though there is no narrative to it, it’s very similar to what I am doing now.” Cited Benjie
Looking closely at his artworks, you will be able to see clues and intricate details such as lines and circles, at the same time, an illusion of a house on stilts. Benjie’s art, as he explained it, involves closely and starts in the painting process before working with an idea and title for the artwork. Again, he compared the process of his work similar to building a house from the ground up, like his art work; it is a construction on its way.
Benjie doesn’t limit himself on signature elements or colours in his artworks, “I’m just very spontaneous” is his simple reply.
Benjie had received numerous awards and recognitions such as Thirteen Artist’s Awardee, from the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1978, Fernando Amorsolo Professorial Chair Grantee (for the year 1992, 1996, 2002 and 2004) and the Gawad Chancellor , U.P.'s Outstanding Visual Artist last 2000.
A lot of factors affect an artist, when it comes to styles, strokes, and materials used. For Benjie, his former teachers in the image of Constancio Bernardo, Roberto Chabet, and Jose Joya was influencial in his development.
Though at this time, he (Benjie) can’t say he have come up with a style that is very distinctive to call his own, he is still in the journey of exploration and discovery.
To date, he is planning to incorporate some of his 2 dimentional works to 3D. Something great to look forward to don’t you think? Let’s just wait and see.
♦ Art Exhibit
Turning the Tide - August 4 - 21, 2011 at the Art Informal.
